Oh, I had baited her too well and now, we both would pay.
Lady Hualing clapped, the hollow sound ringing in the cavern. As though it was a signal, Liwei’s body jerked, then he stalked toward me. With his sword in his hand, he circled me—in a cruel parody of the many times he had challenged me in play.
I could not move, unable to look away from his dead gaze. Even now, I did not believe he could harm me. Although I, myself, was almost compelled before in the Eastern Sea, and had seen what a sliver of such power could do.
He charged, swift as lightning. Stunned, I threw up my sword—a second too late as his blade slashed my cheek. Blood trickled from the stinging gash, yet it was nothing to the agony within. It was not that he looked at me with hatred, but with utter indifference.
Silver flashed, hard and bright. My body moved of its own volition, flinging my arm up, our blades clanging together. He bore down relentlessly as I staggered beneath the force of his blow, digging my heels into the ground. In a sudden feint, he whirled to the side. I reeled forward as he swept his sword across the scales of my armor, thrusting it deep into my shoulder. Cold iron sank through my flesh, scraping bone. With a smooth tug of his arm, his blade slid from me with a moist sucking sound. A gasp was torn from my lungs as I pressed my palm to the gaping wound, blood gushing between my fingers. Anger surged through me now—misplaced though it was—as I lunged at him, my sword piercing his armor, driving into his side. I yanked it out at once, before it went too deep, shame and remorse searing me . . . along with the horror that he did not even flinch.
Our blades clashed. Again, and again. I held back each time, though he showed no such restraint. Yet we were more closely matched than I anticipated. He had been the better swordsman, but I had the benefit of a soldier’s training. I was quick, he was strong. My strikes were deft, he was ruthless. Magic would have tipped the scales, except his was bound. And I found myself unwilling to draw my own against him. A slender distinction, but to use my powers on him now felt akin to execution. Unfair, almost. My mind screamed what use was such honor, even as my heart whispered that it was not Liwei who attacked me so pitilessly—just the husk of his body, dancing to another’s tune. He was my opponent, but he was not my enemy. And though I wanted to win, I could not kill him. It was not honor alone which restrained me but a sense of self-preservation, knowing that slaying the one I loved would destroy me, too. I would never recover, not for all eternity. Not even if I found my way home.
My foot caught on a loose rock and I stumbled. In a flash, the point of his sword pressed against the hollow of my neck. He stilled, a muscle clenching in his cheek. Was he struggling against Lady Hualing’s control? I glanced at her—dazzling light pouring from her eyes, her brow coated in a sheen of sweat. Was she tiring? Hope flared in me, only to be extinguished when Liwei’s hand trembled—a moment before his sword dipped and drove through my chest. I gasped, my legs buckling as I collapsed onto the stone floor, sinking into a puddle of my still-warm blood.
Darkness beckoned, a merciful void without the pain blossoming through my body, only eclipsed by the agony of knowing that it was he who had done this. A forgotten memory flared. My mother’s arms, lifting me up from where I had fallen, her thumb brushing the tears from my cheek. How my scraped flesh had stung—my first real injury—until her cool touch and soft murmurs soothed it away.
This would not be the end.
My eyes flew open. I reached for a precious fragment of my power, sealing my wound. The healers would have cringed at my crude work, at the scar which would remain—but the pain subsided and the bleeding staunched. My mind cleared a little as I staggered to my feet, searching Liwei’s face for the faintest sign of recognition. Yet there was nothing; not a flicker of love, not a speck of remorse. And in that moment, something snapped into place for me: I would not throw my life away. I would not be defeated by myself or another. I would fight to live, and while I lived there would be hope. To grasp at a chance of our survival, I would risk everything. Even our lives.
My energy was dwindling. I seized what I could, the air shimmering as I hurled my magic at Liwei. Coils of air wrapped around his body—knocking him to the ground—sealing his ears, nose, mouth, and pressing his eyelids shut. Covering every inch of his skin until he could do nothing except lay there, writhing like a trapped beast. If his powers had not been constrained, my binds could never have held him so.
Lady Hualing’s delighted laugh rang through my ears. Was this not the spectacle she had forced us to perform? Had she dreamed of inflicting such torment on her own faithless lover?